phone services

Apple's iPhone 3Gs, widely available in Russia on the black market, will be offered legally by at least two phone companies.

On Monday, Russia's third-largest mobile-phone company, MegaFon, announced an agreement with Apple to start selling the iPhone 3G later this year. No further details were provided.

The road to advanced video, Internet and phone services is bumpy -- and the bumps can be almost as big as refrigerators.

As cable and phone companies race to upgrade services or offer video for the first time, they're doing it by installing equipment in boxes on lawns, easements and curbs all over American neighborhoods. Telecommunications rollouts have always been messy, but several towns and residents are fighting back with cries of "Not in my front yard!"